4.5 stars.

In Walking the Bones by Randall Silvis, the discovery of the bones of seven murdered young women is a fascinating mystery that has been impossible to solve for the past few years. In this second installment in the Ryan DeMarco Mystery series, Ryan and his girlfriend (and fellow state trooper) Jayme Matson agree to give the case a second look during their stay in Aberdeen, KY.

Still haunted by the death of his baby son several years earlier and struggling to cope with the death of his close friend, Thomas Huston, Ryan is ready to retire from Pennsylvania State Troopers. Jayme and their boss know he will regret the decision, so they come up with a plan for Ryan to take some time off before his retirement becomes official. While traveling together in their recently purchased RV, Jayme receives word her beloved grandmother has passed away so the couple heads to Aberdeen for her funeral. Not long after their arrival, Dr. Hoyle, Rosemary Toomey and David Vicente appeal to DeMarco to investigate the still unsolved murders of the girls whose remains were found behind a false wall in a local church. Will Ryan and Jayme be able to uncover the identity of their killer?

Hoyle, Rosemary and David have worked hard to solve the murders but they have run into dead ends at every turn. Their main suspects are Eli Royce, Aaron Henry, Chad McGintey and Virgil Helm. Royce is the pastor of the church where they remains were discovered and he has since moved out of state and now leads a mega church that is quite prosperous. Aaron is a former teacher who is a convicted child molester. Chad is a white supremacist who was once employed as handyman at the church where the remains were found. Virgil also worked at the church and no one has seen him since he disappeared right before the bones were discovered. With high hopes that Ryan and Jayme can figure out which of the four is the young women's killer, Holye, Rosemary and David turn all of their files over to the couple.

Although they have their doubts they can achieve what no other law enforcement agency has yet to accomplish, DeMarco and Matson methodically review the information and then proceed with their investigation. They re-interview Royce, McGintey and Henry and begin searching the still missing Helm. Their investigation yields a few new clues but will these discoveries be enough to unmask the killer? Can Ryan and Jayme track down Virgil? And if so, will he have new information that will help them crack the case?

Interspersed with the chapters detailing the investigation are flashbacks to Ryan's childhood. These memories are quite informative and provide valuable insight into what shaped him into the man he is today. As he becomes more aware of how deeply the events of his childhood continue to affect him, he gradually realizes he is in danger of repeating the past. DeMarco also continues to wrestle with the longstanding guilt from his son's death and by novel's end, he is much closer to coming to terms with his loss. Ryan also begins to admit the depth of his emotions for Jayme but before their relationship can move forward, he must deal with his still unresolved marriage to his son's mother, Laraine.

Despite the confusing weaving back and forth in time in the first several chapters, Walking the Bones is a fast-paced and compelling murder investigation. Jayme and Ryan are complex characters with realistic and easy to relate to strengths and weaknesses. Their investigation into who might have murdered the seven young women is interesting but readers will have to be patient as DeMarco and Matson meticulously unravel the threads of the perplexing case. Randall Silvis takes the story in a very unexpected direction and the truth about who killed the girls and how their remains ended up in the church is somewhat shocking. Old and new fans of the Ryan DeMarco Mystery series will enjoy this newest installment which features a very intrepid crime solving duo. ( )

Walking the Bones
Ryan DeMarco Mystery #2

A compelling mystery combined with a in-depth character study of a man struggling with memories, loss and regrets

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


SUMMARY
Ryan DeMarco is still reeling from the case that led to the death of his best friend months ago and is considering retirement from the Pennsylvania State Police Department. He’s fighting some personal demons that he knows he needs to conquer. Instead of retiring DeMarco and his new girlfriend Trooper Jayme Matson are convinced to take a leave of absence. They buy an RV together and begin a road trip. They are just about to head to Florida when they get a call; Jayme’s grandmother in Aberdeen, Kentucky, has just passed away. They turn the RV around and head to Kentucky.

After the funeral, DeMarco and Jayme are approached by three amateur crime solving septuagenarians who want their help in solving a decades old mystery. Several years ago the bones of seven young black girls were found behind a false wall in the First Baptist Church. The girls all went missing between 1998 and 2004. There are plenty of suspects to be considered—the evasive pastor, two former church caretakers and a convicted pedophile and ex-teacher. Ryan and Jayme are soon embroiled in this unresolved case. Was it a fetish for young girls of color or was it a hatred for them?

REVIEW
WALKING THE BONES is a continuation of the intriguing saga of a man fighting the demons of grief, loss and guilt. Ryan DeMarco is a man who knows he needs a break, and who know he needs to move beyond the memories that are haunting him. This RV road trip and his relationship with the spunky Trooper Jayme Matson might be just the cure. It takes a strong man to admit when he needs help!

In WALKING THE BONES we watch DeMarco’s evolution as he gallantly attempts to cast off his demons. We find out about his abusive childhood, the cause of his PTSD and so much more. It’s a fascinating and brilliant character study.

The investigation into mystery of the seven young girls will keep you on the edge of your seat and will put DeMarco to both a physical and mental test. It’s a robust story full of dead-ends and twists as each of the many suspects are found and questioned. Silvas’s writing is enjoyable, even lyrical at times and his settings are wonderfully descriptive. Particularly loved the very first chapter, when DeMarco decides to take a walk in the deep, dark woods alone and without a cell phone. It will definitely draw you in!

Both parts of Walking the Bones, the character study and the mystery of the seven young girls are compelling. If you enjoyed Randall 's Silvis first novel Two Days Gone, you will definitely love this one as well. Ryan DeMarco is turning out to be a great series!

“Throughout that day he marched toward one slender, streaming shaft of mote filled yellow after another, the neglected sky like a sputtering fluorescent bulb hidden somewhere high above. Those high leaves when DeMarco stared into them for a few seconds while resting, would become like leaves afloat upon first milky and later inky water, and he would remember his childhood and the woods to which he had so often escaped...”

Publisher Sourcebooks Landmark/Recorded Books
Published January 23, 2018
Narrated Graham Winton
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com ( )

I have so many series that I already follow, I decided to be a bit more picky this year. I read the first in this series, actually it is the beginning, last year and liked the main character DeMarco. This is the second in series, and liked it better than the first, so I made what for me is a good decision to pick up this relatively new series.

Very character driven, DeMarco, man still reeling from his last case, his violent childhood, and a state of recent tragedies, is trying to come to terms with his life as it is now. It is very introspective, contains flashbacks to his youth, and shows us his doubts in his new relationship, the guilt he feels moving forward when others do not have this option. Taking leave from the police force, he is traveling with new love and fellow officer Jamie, when her Grandmother's death forces them to detour to her old hometown. There he will find himself embroiled in the discovery of the bones of eight young women hidden in a church wall. The fate of these young women will haunt him, and also introduce him to three elderly people in the town that have a vested interest in the case.

I enjoy these characters, the in-depth look at how we process our past, how in reflects on our present.
Slower paced, but interesting, so I never minded. I actually like character driven stories, they seem less shallow to me, and after a few thrillers that left me with a kind of meh feeling it was a welcome relief to read one that drew me in intellectually and emotionally.

ARC from Edelweiss. ( )

Ryan DeMarco is a troubled character that because of his abusive father and the loss of his son struggles with "Love" relationships and his own violent tendencies. I had not read Mystery #1 but did not feel too lost. Lengthy read that took about 25% into the book before any real action and connection was evident between happenings. That being said the remainder of the novel was full of investigative information in solving a cold case of the murder of seven young women entombed in the wall of a church. Ryan's girlfriend Jayme like Ryan is employed with the police dept in Pennsylvania. When Ryan seeks to retire at an early age Jayme also takes a lengthy vacation with him and their travels lead them to Kentucky and the site of this serial killing. Character reveals about Jayme are touched on and will probably be more completely included in a future installment. Not so much a cliff hanger which I so hate; but a knowing that not all has been revealed with Ryan and Jayme. "A copy of this book was provided by SOURCEBOOKS Landmark via Netgalley with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion." ( )

Ryan DeMarco returns following Two Days Gone landing on my Top Books of 2017 with a gripping follow-up from the acclaimed author, Randall Silvis — WALKING THE BONES.

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The continuation of Ryan DeMarco leads Marco and his partner to an unsolved murder case of seven African American girls who went missing from 1998 and 2004. A story of things buried―memories, regrets, secrets, and bodies.

Dark hidden secrets are unraveled and exposed in this gripping psychological suspense crime mystery thriller (procedural) with a strong literary twist. The shocking conclusion will leave you gasping, with thoughts of Vladimir Nabokov’s classic Lolita.

“The past is never past, she thought. Every second of their pasts lay gathered inside them. Every incident of their pasts had constructed their present, every cell interlocking, layer upon layer. The past is omnipresent."

Picking up from Two Days Gone, Sergeant (49 yrs. old) Ryan DeMarco of the Pennsylvania State Police is still suffering from the loss of his best friend, Thomas Hutson, his son, Ryan Jr. and the demise of his marriage. Guilt-ridden, he continues to wrestle with his demons spending time at the cemetery.

They were all gone. Only Jayme remained. He hopes he will not ruin her life.

Currently, he is dating Jayme Matson (fellow Trooper), and she is quite concerned about his well-being. She has convinced Ryan to take a medical leave of absence for three months rather than retire. She decides to join him. They rent an RV and hit the road to visit her sick grandmother in Kentucky, her hometown.

However, when they arrive, they become involved in a murder mystery. Seven young females reduced to bone. Seven skeletons found in a four by fourteen by ten-foot space between the walls of a local church.

Each of the girls — are between fifteen to nineteen years of age. All light-skinned African American girls. Not a single Caucasian. Each cocooned in a clear plastic sheeting and sealed with silver duct tape. Each meticulously, obsessively cleaned and stripped.

One per year from 1998 to 2004. A fetish for girls of color, or a hatred of them? Cause of death?

"Sometimes the bones talk, and sometimes they hoard their secrets."

Who was the killer? It had to be someone who knew about the false wall in the church and how to access it. A regular visitor, the pastor, or someone well-known in the community? Later the church was torched.

Flashing back and forth from Ryan’s childhood to the present –we learn more about his earlier childhood. The one which still haunts him.

Between Ryan’s internal struggle, his grief and guilt, emotions, insecurities, disturbing dreams, regrets, his troubled ex-wife Laraine, and his current relationship with Jayne – he has his hands full. The tensions and drama run high. Will he screw up his second chance at happiness?

“Unless you have chaos inside, you cannot give birth to a dancing star.”—Freidrich Nietzche

Neither Ryan nor Jayne knows where their relationship may be going, but they are along for the rocky ride. (Mixed with a few family members and locals). Plus we learn about both their pasts.

In the midst of their personal affairs, they are drawn into this old mystery.

From a senior amateur group of six concerned citizens (Da Vinci Cave Irregulars). Determined to solve this case and help in any way they can —to a registered pedophile, minister, Mennonite, a groundskeeper, a foreman, a tarot-car-reading librarian, a retired coroner, a reclusive chiropractor millionaire, among others.

They have folders for the players: Suspects: Chad McGintey (statutory rape), Lucas McGintey (drug possession), Aaron Henry (teacher), Virgil Helm (caretaker), Eli Royce (pastor & narcissist), and the victims.

Each of the victims had circumstances and were reported missing in the Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri. The all were between five feet and five four. Petite. The cause, date, time, and place of death were undetermined. Runaways. Had their families given up on them long before their bones ended up in Aberdeen?

In addition to Ryan’s haunted past, afraid he was becoming his father—now the seven girls are starting to haunt him as well. Will the cemetery, a bear cage, or being trapped in the woods give him the answers they are desperately seeking?

"History never really says good-bye. History says, see you later.” — Eduardo Galeano

With rich, evocative language, a twisty plot, and well-developed characters, Silvis once again delivers an extraordinary piece of art. Not only is WALKING THE BONES a phenomenal suspense crime mystery, but it also possesses an intense character study. I loved Two Days Gone; however, the followup further delves into the heart and soul of DeMarco and his tormented childhood as well as adulthood.

Both parts of the story (Ryan’s) and the (murder mystery) are equally as gripping. The secret behind the girl’s death was unpredictable and a clever twist. Silvis lyrical prose is spellbinding. Beautifully written, and profoundly moving, an emotional and haunting meditation of acceptance, love, trust, and survival. (an intriguing character).

I enjoyed Jayme’s personality — a strong sassy and witty female counterpart to Ryan’s complicated, moody, emotional, deep, and grief-stricken side, at times. A delicate balance of humor. Enjoying Silvis’ writing and look forward to reading his backlist.

Highly Recommend both Two Days Gone and WALKING THE BONES. For fans of intelligent well-plotted literary mystery suspense thrillers. Looking forward to seeing what is coming next!

Also recommend Only the Rain. (2018)

A special thank you to Sourcebooks and #NetGalley for an early reading copy.

JDCMustReadBooks ( )